Walking Trees?

Ok, so you’re never likely to see a tree walk in the way we recognise as walking. However, it is indeed true that a tree can walk, kind of. If you wanted to see it happen though, you would have to slow down time – a lot! Trees take their time when doing anything. Here are some examples of trees that have been known to ‘walk’:

Banana Plant

Did you know that bananas are actually berries and not a fruit at all? And did you also know that a banana tree can walk up to 40 cm during its lifetime. This is not a natural phenomenon though and more to do with how they are cultivated. When we grow a banana tree, to maximise on fruit (or berry) yield, two shoots are used instead of one.

One of the shoots is put to use immediately, while the second is left to grow so it can yield fruit in approximately 7 months’ time. The shoots grow along the ground and not down as with other plants, so the whole plant appears to move along the ground.

Image credit

The Walking Palm

Native to Latin America, the Walking Palm gets its name from its ability to walk thanks to its amazing root system. Most trees only have one trunk, but the Walking Palm is a little different. During growth, the trunk splits into many different roots sitting a couple of feet above ground. This gives the appearance of the tree having lots of different legs and the more the roots grow, the more the tree moves along.

Many tourists flock to see these fascinating trees and one major theory for their growth pattern is that coming from a dense jungle habitat, they have developed the means to move from the shade into the sunlight! If you have a troublesome tree, you can’t wait for thousands of years for it to move so you’ll want to call in a Tree Surgeon Poole. Contact Kieran Boyland, a Tree Surgeon Poole, for professional help with your trees.

Image credit

The UK’s Ancient Trees

Sadly, there aren’t too many ancient trees left to enjoy in the UK anymore. One such place though is Hatfield Forest, a beautiful example of preserved royal hunting forests. There are many natural wonders to be found here and that includes walking trees! You’re not likely to see it in a hurry though as it takes thousands of years.

The sign to look for is a split trunk. The process that occurs means part of the trunk dies but grows a new root in a different direction. This is in effect, the tree’s way of moving.

So, as you can see, trees do move but perhaps not as fast as we’d like them to. You’re never likely to see the movement as trees operate in a much slower timeframe than humans. However, you might be lucky enough to see the beginnings of a tree’s journey or evidence of where a tree was and where it is now!